Ringer
by MickBeth4ever
Summary: This is my version of the episode Ringer. Beth in danger and Mick comes to the rescue again, can he save Beth before it's too late? Will he be able to finally put an end to Coralline before she puts an end to him? AU


This is my version of what should have happened in Ringer. I took the previews and started from there, then I put a few quotes and situations from the actual episode, but not too many. Hope you all like it!!

Disclaimer: I don't own it...sob wish I did though, Mick and Beth would already be together!!

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Ringer

Mick looked around the scene and saw one of the oldest buildings in LA burning. Sadness erupted in his chest as he watched one of the places that held many of his happy memories as a human go up in flames.

He sighed as he looked around, knowing he could do nothing while all the humans were about. He saw Beth coming from the corner of his eye as he watched the inferno.

"Sad isn't it?" she asked.

He paused, catching his breath. "Think they're going to be able to save it?" he asked her.

"The warden said that they might be able to say a couple of the top floors, but most of the interior is wood. It was built in the 20's," she informed him. Not that he didn't already know.

"1927," he told her. When she looked confused he said, "My parents used to bring me here for brunch after church on Sundays."

She laughed. "I keep forgetting how old you are!"

Mick smiled and she looked back up at the old building and frowned. She said quietly, "It must be really frustrating having the power to help people but not be able to do anything."

She looked at him and he said, "If only you knew."

She gave him a sympathetic smile and turned around and walked back to her cameraman. Looking around the scene again he sighed, but then he did a double take when he realized what it was that he was seeing.

Beth came over when she saw his eyes go wide "What?" she asked, sounding almost scared.

What he would have said had he not been paralyzed by the sight he didn't know. But all he knew was that what he was seeing was impossible.

"What?" she asked again, standing in front of him now. Then she turned to see what he was staring at and she turned back in confusion. When she turned around again to try and figure out what he was looking at, he quickly left, not knowing what he would do if he stayed any longer. He knew Beth would be upset that he didn't answer her question and that she would more than likely come over to talk, but he couldn't stay.

Not with Coralline at the fire.

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He quickly went back to his home and made sure to lock the door behind him as he walked inside, remembering how things had gone awry when he left the door open the first time. He looked at the clock and it said eleven. He didn't know if he would be sleeping that morning, but he knew he would have to avoid Beth until he was able to process everything.

He walked over to his stash of blood and quickly poured himself a glass and drained it. All the questions that he had at the crime scene quickly came to the forefront of his mind as he stood with the glass in his hand.

_What was she doing there? How did she come back? _And more importantly, _What is going to happen now?_

He wouldn't dare confront her, for he knew that she was a dangerous person when cornered. Hell, she was dangerous period.

He poured another glass and started to pace around the room. He needed to think, and the best place for that was the ice box. But what about Beth? He knew she would be coming and she would bang down the door if she had to to get answers. But he wouldn't be able to tell her that the woman who kidnapped her as a child, and the same one that he had killed, was at the crime scene with them.

Mick decided that he could go into the chest until she got there, because who knew when she would arrive. So he downed the glass once more and walked upstairs. He quickly stripped and climbed into the box, keeping the top open so that he wouldn't go to sleep and not hear her at the door. He smirked as he thought of blowing her off again, but then she would kill him_. And I would like to keep my head…for a while longer at least._

Leaning back he thought of every possibility that he could that would be a possible logical explanation of Coralline's return. But every one that he thought of would be batted away with its ridiculousness. He wasn't sure how long he was in there, but he soon heard a knock at the door. The only reason he had even heard it was because of his super hearing. He decided to wait and see if she would leave. But once she started to yell, "Mick St. John I know you're in there! Open up!" and bang harder on the door constantly, He decided it was time to get up. He quickly crawled out, grabbed his remote, and allowed her entrance.

"Close the door, I'll be right out," he yelled out to her as he quickly dressed. Once he got out he closed the door and walked down the stairs. Once down far enough he saw a very irate Beth standing in front of the couch looking up at him. "You rang?" he asked cheekily.

She glared at him. "Yes. You left me hanging at a crime scene after staring off into the distance as if you saw a ghost." He smirked at the irony of her guessing so close to the reason. "What is going on?" she asked, as she walked up to him.

He sighed. "Sit down and don't kill me." He waited until she was sitting to start talking. "I need time, Beth. I need time to think about all of this, but when I am able to get a handle on everything, I will let you know what's going on." Beth looked ready to take his head so he quickly said, "I can't tell you yet because _I_ don't know what's going on. You have to understand and let me have some time to think about this."

She seemed to ponder the offer and she said, "Alright." She stood up and walked to the door, Mick following behind her. She turned around and said, "I'll be back tomorrow." Then she turned on her heels and walked out.

Mick couldn't help but smile after her. He shook his head. What he wouldn't give to be human again. But he walked back inside and closed the door.

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"I saw Coralline last night."

Sitting in one of Josef's leather chair's he told his friend what he saw at the fire.

Josef gave Mick a look and said, "Was she dead?"

"If I saw her last night, then she would not be dead, no."

Josef decided to ignore the chide from Mick and said, "It can't be Coralline, you killed her remember?"

Mick rolled his eyes. "Don't you think I know that?" he stood up and started pacing. "All I know is that I saw her there, taking pictures, and she looked exactly like Coralline, moved like her!"

"Do you hear yourself? Coralline is dead, man, get over it!"

"You know how dangerous she was."

"Yes I do, I knew her for a century more than you. But I'm telling you, not even _she_ could pull off a resurrection."

Mick sighed. He wasn't sure what he was expecting out of Josef, but he had decided to come here and he had to deal with it. Looking at Josef he realized that to make Josef understand he would have to tell him something that he never told anyone, and he wondered how he would react.

He stat down and looked at the floor. "I never saw her ashes."

"Oh." Mick heard the disappointment and understanding in Josef's voice. "In the 22 years since she died you never told me that."

"I never told anybody that, I never thought she could possibly survive. I left Coralline trapped in an inferno that night, man!"

"Mick."

He looked up at his friend and he said, "Yeah?"

"What would you do if it _was_ Coralline?"

He sighed and thought for a moment. What _would_ he do? Part of him wanted to allow her back into his life, he had been happy with her once. But then he remembered the night she took Beth and what she would do to keep the both of them together. He wouldn't be able to be happy or to live like he had been. He wouldn't call it relaxing, but he at least didn't have to look over his shoulder every 5 minutes to wonder if Coralline was behind him trying to extract revenge.

He had no idea, but all he knew was that she had to be killed, once and for all. Mick saw Josef's eyes widen slightly, as if surprised, when he said, "Kill her. And this time make sure she stays dead."

Josef raised his eyebrow and sighed. "Do you even know anything about the girl who you saw? Do you know where to find her?" he asked.

Mick shook his head. "No, I didn't stick around long enough. I got out of there as fast as I could, I didn't know what I'd do if I stayed."

"Well, I suggest that the first thing you do is to try and find her again, and find out who she is and _if_ she is Coralline, but I'm sure you'll find that she isn't and is just some human that looks like her."

Mick nodded and stood, knowing that it was time to leave. "I'll let you know what I find out," he said, walking out the door.

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Walking back to his condo, Mick new he had to find Coralline again. If he didn't find her soon, who knew what she would do. He shook his head to try and get his analytical mind working so that he could figure out how to corner her.

But someone else had other things in mind.

When he got up to his floor, he found Beth standing outside his door with her hands on her hips and leaning against the doorframe. Mick looked her over and then had to chuckle.

"Couldn't break down the door, could you?" he asked.

Beth glared then straightened up. "Well, if you had been home I wouldn't have had to try."

"Why are you here?" he asked, walking to the door.

"I told you I'd be here tomorrow," she reminded him cheekily.

He gave her a look and said, "That's not what I meant."

"I know, but it's what _I_ meant."

Mick shook his head slightly and opened the door. When Beth started moving he saw that she was favoring her right leg, barely even putting it on the ground and she was biting her lip as if to keep herself from screaming. He sighed and said, "I have some bandages in the other room, come sit down," and he led her to the couch.

She gave him a slight glare as he turned away and went upstairs. "Why didn't you tell me I would break my foot if I tried to break the door down?" she yelled.

He had to pause or else he would have laughed as he said, "Number one I didn't think you'd be that stupid, and two you didn't ask." He quickly grabbed the only bandages he had, he knew he kept them for a reason.

"Ha ha very funny," came Beth's response. He quickly left the bathroom before Beth could murder him for the lack of information. He was actually surprised that she hadn't asked about what happened the previous night.

Mick came back down the stairs with bandages in hand, smiled and said, "I know, you make it funny." She gave him another glare but he ignored it. When he put his hand down toward her foot she raised it to his silent request. He pulled her jeans up so he could get better take a look at her ankle. He felt her foot and found out that she didn't break it, thankful that she had such thin legs so he could tell easily, but that she only sprained it, but it was a pretty bad sprain, so he just wrapped it in the bandages that he had. "You need to see a doctor, but it's only sprained," he informed her, pulling her pants over the bandage and sitting in the armchair in front of her.

She sighed and rubbed her ankle, then as if remembering what she was here for, she looked up eagerly, but Mick got to it first.

"I need more time to think, Beth. I can't tell you right now."

"But, but you said-"

"I said that I needed time, that I didn't even know what was going on."

"But wouldn't it be better to talk to someone about it so you could bounce ideas off of them?" she asked.

It was a good idea, he knew, but he knew if he tried to tell her, that the truth about what happened when Beth was a child would come out, and he didn't want her to go through those memories again. But he would have to tell her something, or else she would become suspicious and never leave him alone. But he wouldn't tell her about Coralline and what happened when she was little.

But he would see if he could get out of it first.

"I already tried with Josef and he was no help."

She looked confused for a moment but then recognition dawned in her eyes and she smirked. "Well, maybe you need a woman's intuition."

He mentally sighed, he should have known that he wouldn't be able to get away without telling her some part of the story. _And who knows, maybe she can help._ He closed his eyes and tried to find a way to tell her that wouldn't bring up her past.

"You remember when I told you about my ex-wife, Coralline, right?" he asked, opening his eyes. At her nod he continued. "Well, she was killed several years ago and-"

"How?" Beth interrupted.

Mick could have started banging his head on the table. How she knew to ask the questions to get the answers that he didn't want to give was amazing, but then again, it was becoming stressful. "She burned to death," he said plainly. "As I was saying, she died but last night," he paused remembering seeing her with a camera, taking pictures as if he didn't exist. He shook his head of the incident, "Last night I saw her."

Beth's eyes went wide, but she kept quiet. He could see the questions forming in her mind, but was thankful that she didn't voice any of them.

"Now, I have to find her again and find out what is going on."

Beth probably took that as the conclusion to the story because she started to ask questions. "Is it normal for a vampire to come back to life?"

He stared at her for a minute and when she didn't realize the foolishness of her question he said, "No." When Beth looked slightly confused he said, "No one ever has."

"But," she stopped. "But then how could she have come back? She died…" she stopped, thinking.

Mick's stomach started to clench. Would she ask _how_ she died? Would she ask anything that would make her think that he was withholding something from her?

"So how are you going to find her?"

Mick internally sighed with relief when she didn't ask any of the questions that he was fearing. "I'm not sure, I may ask Josef to help me track her down. Unfortunately I wasn't able to pick up on her scent so it's going to be even more difficult to find her. But I'm sure if I don't that she'll find me."

Concern filled her face but Mick said, "It'll be fine, don't worry."

Beth didn't look relieved but left it at that. "So what are you going to do?" she asked.

Mick smirked as the answer came to him. "Go back to sleep."

Beth looked upset for a moment but then looked regretful. "You were going to go to sleep? I'm sorry, I'll go-"

Mick stood as she did, though easier than she, and said, "It's fine, really."

When she gave him a bemused look he said, "I mean, I was going to go to sleep, but you don't have to feel bad about it." He felt bad about it, but truthfully, it was a great way to get her out of here without him having to explain too much.

"Well, I'd better get back, I need to get to the doctor and get home so I can put this foot up," she said, moving toward the door. But when she tried to put pressure on her left foot, she screamed in pain and if it hadn't been for Mick's unnatural speed, she would have crumbled to the ground.

"You'd better wait to put weight on that foot," Mick told her, helping her stand.

Beth sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it was my fault for not telling you you'd hurt yourself by trying to enter forcefully."

Biting her lip, Beth said, "Well, could you help me down to my car?"

Mick raised his eyebrow. "Sure, but how are you going to get up to your condo when you can't even take one step?" he asked. When Beth paused and thought a bit Mick said, "I'll take you home, come on." He offered her his arm and she took it gratefully. Mick found that with every step that they took Beth was looking greener, so he made a decision and asked, "Do you mind if I carry you down to the car? It would be a lot easier than trying to keep going this way."

Beth closed her eyes and nodded.

With her permission, he put her arm around his neck and put his arm under her knees and picked her up. She groaned a bit and put her head against his shoulder to probably try and stop her head from spinning. Mick made his way down to her car slowly, so as not to disturb her, or make her sick.

Thankfully, with his super strength, he was able to carry her without any problems. Once he got downstairs he had to brace himself before getting to her car, but once outside he got to her car quickly and put her in the passenger seat, reminding himself to thank her that she had a covered car.

He quickly moved around to the driver side and got inside. He turned on the car and air conditioning and pulled away. They were almost to her place when she said faintly, "I'm sorry."

He looked over to see her eyes open slightly and looking sicker than she did back at his place. "What for?" he asked, confused.

"For ruining your sleep and for being so nosey."

Mick couldn't help but smile at that and say, "It's alright, don't worry about it. And lots of people are nosey, myself included."

As they pulled into her complex he heard her say, "Still sorry."

When he looked over, he saw that her eyes were closed, smiling to himself he parked and quickly got out and around to the other side. He picked her out of her seat and made his way to her house, grateful to be out of the sun.

When he got to her door, he wondered how he was going to get inside, but Beth answered that for him. "It's the silver one on the keychain." He quickly fumbled for the keys and opened it. He laid the keys down on the bookshelf and asked, "Where's your bedroom?"

"Through the kitchen and to the left," she said softly.

Mick went back and found her room easily and said, "Hang on," he said as he lowered her onto the bed. She let go once she was on the bed and Mick went over to close the blinds and had to shy away from the light for a moment before quickly closing them to douse the light.

He walked back over to her and asked, "Is there anything you need?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine, you've done enough, thank you."

He nodded. "My pleasure." Suddenly there was another scent in the room, and he knew he had to leave now or it would look bad. "Feel better, Beth, I'll see you later." He knew even before he saw Beth look over his shoulder that he was behind him. And it was only because of his vampire senses that he didn't turn around and punch his lights out. He turned around and saw Josh standing there with a confused and slightly upset look on his face.

"Josh," he said, nodding politely as he walked out. Thankfully he could hear everything as he walked out.

"What happened?" he heard Josh ask.

"Nothing, I sprained my ankle on the stairs leading up to Mick's place. I was just being a clutz," Beth replied.

"What were you doing-" he stopped. "Never mind, I'll be right back."

He heard Josh coming and made sure he was a few more steps away from the door.

"Mick!"

He turned around and saw Josh close the door and walk toward him. "What happened?" he asked, nodding towards Beth's place.

"She apparently tripped and sprained her ankle on the stairs that lead up to my place. I found her a few minutes after when I came back from a friend's and she told me what happened."

Josh sighed. "Why was she there?" he asked.

"I don't know, we didn't get to that. I helped her inside and bandaged her leg up. She started to feel sick so she tried to leave and couldn't put pressure on her foot, so I took her home."

"What did you take?"

"Her car."

Josh looked satisfied. "Alright, do you need a ride back?" he asked.

Mick shook his head. "No, I'm fine, but thanks anyways."

Josh nodded. "Well, thanks."

Nodding and turning around Mick said, "No problem," and walked back toward home

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Mick rocked back and forth in his chair, trying to figure out how to find Coralline again. Looking back, he should have stayed to at least find her scent so he could try and track her down. Now he had nothing. The idea to ask around the crime scene came to mind but then he thought that it wouldn't work and so he stood up and tried pacing to think of another idea.

He heard his cell phone ring and looking at it, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Josef?"

"Come over, Mick."

"Now?"

"Yes, now. It's important."

"Alright, I'll be there in a minute."

He heard the click on the other end that told him Josef had hung up. Grabbing his keys he quickly made his way downstairs and to his car. He knew something was up if Josef would call him, which was a rare occasion all in itself, and if he wanted him to come in the daylight, which always meant that it was too important to wait until twilight.

He made his way to Josef's as quickly as he could and once parked, he quickly made his way to the front door and found it open for him.

"Josef, what's going on?" he asked when he saw his friend. When Josef just looked at him Mick started to get worried, but didn't say anything. Josef sighed and threw a folder at him. When he opened it his breath caught as he stared at a picture of Coralline.

"Her name is Teresa O' Riley. She is thirty five, lives in LA, and works as a forensic photographer."

Mick couldn't believe it. It was the same woman that he saw at the crime scene. This was the lead he had been trying to find. He smirked. Leave it to Josef to find this out. He looked up at his friend who was looking at him. "And I'm guessing that you're not going to tell me where you found this information?"

Tilting his head slightly, Josef replied, "When have you ever known me to give up a source?" Smirking Josef continued. "Don't worry about it, Mick. Just go find her and deal with her."

"Thank you, Josef."

He waved away the thanks as Mick left in determination. _Well, one thing's for sure: I'm waiting until twilight to confront her. But that doesn't mean I can't go find out where she lives_, he thought as he climbed into the car.

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Darkness reigned as Mick made his way to "Teresa's" house. Thanks to Josef all he had to do was Mapquest the address that was in the file to find her humble abode. At once he knew no one was inside, so looking around to make sure no one was watching, he jumped the fence and made his way into the house. Once inside, he looked around, taking his time, knowing that if he had to he could escape. He found the kitchen spotless and the rest of the house very neat. Though he couldn't say he was surprised, Coralline had been a very orderly woman.

He looked around her living room and saw many pictures on the wall. If they hadn't been Coralline's he would have admired their beauty. But all of a sudden, something on the coffee table caught his eye. When he looked at first it was just a picture, but upon second glance he could have died right there.

It was a picture of Coralline and himself.

Though he had to admit that he'd never seen the picture before. Coralline looked the same as the picture in the folder that Josef had given him, but he looked the same as he did before she had turned him. The only reason for that is that she took a picture of herself and edited it so that it looked like she and him were standing in the same photo. _The nerve._

Making one last look, he took out his iPhone and took a quick snapshot of the 'picture', and left as quickly and easily as he entered.

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Putting the picture in front of Josef, Mick watched as Josef's eyes went wide and quickly look up at him.

The previous night he had gone back to his place and printed the picture that he had taken at Coralline's house. After that, he had decided to get some sleep before going to see Josef that morning. Even if Josef hadn't been very happy at his arrival, once he saw the picture his anger dissipated.

"This isn't good, Mick."

Confused as to what he thought _was_ about Coralline being back he asked, "What exactly _is_ good?"

"You don't see it?" he asked.

"See what?"

"You're vamp skills must be off today," he said, shaking his head and standing up. "This means that she still wants you. That she's going to try and get you back," Josef said, trying to get his friend to understand what it meant.

"Well, I don't want her back. She should have understood that when I staked her and tried to kill her."

"_You_ may not, Mick, but _she_ does. You know how women are."

Mick sighed. Women never take no for an answer. He should have known that by now, not only with Coralline all those years ago but also with Beth now. No matter how much he tried to hide the truth from her she still tried to find it out, no matter how much trouble she would get in or how much pain it would cause her.

Then a horrible thought occurred to him as he connected the dots that Josef had been trying to get him to connect.

_Beth._

Apparently seeing the horrified look on his face, Josef said, "You'd better tell her, Mick. If Coralline finds her…" he left the sentence hanging and that made Mick move. He ran down to the car and quickly started to Beth's house. Upon an idea he drew his phone and dialed Beth's number.

He held his breath as the phone started to ring, praying that she had her phone on her. Then someone answered, but it wasn't who he was wanting.

"Hello?"

"Josh, I need to talk to Beth, now."

He could hear his irritation when he said, "She's sleeping right now, you'll have to call back later."

"No," he said, sounding even more urgent, trying to keep Josh on the phone. "I need to talk to her now. It can't be later, I'm on my way but I need to speak with her," he said, starting to panic.

Josh sighed. "Well, then talk to her when you get here, and I'll go get her up so she'll be responsive when you get here. How long will you be?"

"About five minutes but I need to-"

"Then talk to her in five minutes."

"Fine, but is the door locked?" he asked.

He could almost see Josh roll his eyes as he said, "No, why?"

"Lock it and don't open it to anyone except for me."

And he hung up and sped up, ticked at Josh for being such an idiot. _I believe that that man hates me,_ he thought sarcastically.

Two minutes later he pulled into the parking lot and ran up the stairs. Thankful to find the door still locked he knocked and said, "Josh, it's me."

A moment later a very irate Josh opened the door. Mick didn't even wait to be asked to come in but he just walked through and said, "Josh, I hate to do this, but you're going to have to leave."

Josh looked ready to kill him but before he could say anything Mick heard Beth say, "Josh, please."

Looking over, Mick smiled as he saw Beth on crutches and looking a lot better than she had the day before.

Without saying a word, Josh left, slamming the door behind him. Locking the door, Mick said, "Wait here." He quickly looked through the house and found a place for her to stay for a while and went back to the living room to see a very confused Beth sitting on the couch. "Beth, I found Coralline."

Beth straightened up and looked concerned. "How?"

"I don't know, Josef found her. But I went to her house last night and I saw a picture. One that never existed before I saw it." He took his phone out and showed her the shot he took of himself and Coralline. "She still wants me back."

If he hadn't been looking closely he would have missed the sadness that crossed her eyes for a moment before it was gone. "Oh," she said, pausing. "So what's going on?"

Mick was about to explain that Coralline would want to get at Beth because she didn't want him to be happy with anyone but her when he realized what he would be saying. He would have to admit that he had feelings for her and he couldn't do that.

"Well, if she saw you and me at the crime scene she might think that we are…involved."

Beth's mouth formed an "O" in surprise and said, "Ah, so _that's_ why you rushed over here? You think she's going to kill me."

Mick sighed. _If only you knew. _He would have to tell her about what happened soon, but right then wasn't the time, not with Josh deciding to come back and listen on the other side of the door.

"Yeah, something like that. So I need you to stay here. Normally, having someone else with you would be great, but with Coralline, having someone else might just put them in danger, but don't worry," he said when Beth started to open her mouth in protest. "I've got a fool proof idea of how to keep you safe, if you follow my directions."

Beth nodded. "Alright, what do you need me to do?" she asked.

Mick motioned to the door. "Get rid of your boyfriend."

Beth looked confused and Mick smirked, walked over to the door, and opened it to find Josh standing there with his arms crossed. "Hello, Josh."

Josh glared at him but before he could say anything Mick said, "I know you don't like it, but I know Coralline, and Beth would be safer with my precautions and alone, but with her phone than with someone else."

"Josh, listen to him. He knows what he's doing," she asked him.

Josh gave her a cold look. "Fine, I'll see you later."

After seeing Josh down the hallway, Mick turned around, closed, and locked the door.

"So now what?" she asked, looking slightly guilty.

"Now, you come with me," Mick said, moving toward her bedroom. "The safest place for you to be would be your bedroom. Thankfully for you, you have a bathroom, but this is only going to keep you safe as long as you're inside this room, understand?" Mick asked, making eye contact to let her know the severity of the issue.

"I understand," she said, walking inside with Mick. "But how is being in here going to keep me safe?" she asked.

"Give me one minute and I'll be back," he said, taking out his phone and calling hers. When he heard the ring coming from the living room he walked out, picked it up, and walked back in and gave it to her. "Stay on with me while I go downstairs."

When Beth nodded and answered, Mick left and made his way quickly downstairs. He heard Beth move around and sigh a few times as he rummaged around in his trunk. "Doing alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," came the reply. "Just worried."

"Don't be. With this, you won't be touched." After grabbing what he needed, he made his way quickly back up the stairs and into her room.

Beth looked relieved when Mick walked in and he smiled as he hung up his phone. "So what did you get?" she asked.

He pulled out a medium sized aluminum can that said "Diced tomatoes" on it. She raised her eyebrows and was about to ask when he said, "There's something else inside." He put the can down carefully on her desk and pulled out two heavy duty gloves, put them on and then carefully opened the lid.

"What's-"

Mick put his hand inside and pulled it out walking to the door. Beth saw a glint come from the substance on his glove and Mick confirmed her theory when he said, "Silver," as he rubbed it over the door frame and the handle. Closing the door he lathered the door in the silver to make sure that no vampire would be able to get in and survive without taking a shower first. Making sure not to get any on him, he finished and opened the door back up. Closing it again he did the same to the window in her room, but this was a bit harder, as he had to balance himself outside the window while putting the silver all around and on the window without getting any on himself.

Apparently he wasn't _that_ talented.

Mick gasped as some silver fell onto his face.

"What's wrong?" he heard Beth ask.

"Get a wet wash cloth, now!" he said, putting the top of the can back on and then going back inside the room, which took longer than he would have wanted.

Beth had hobbled over to her sink and was soaking the cloth when Mick sat down on her bed. She hobbled back over and her eyes went wide when she saw that the silver had gotten on his face. Even though he reached for the cloth, she sat down beside him and cleaned off the silver. He probably began to show how tired he was because Beth asked, "Do you want to take a nap before you leave?"

When Mick opened his eyes and connected with hers he felt everything except himself and her leave the room. The pain that was caused by the silver had dissipated and was gone. It took a minute for Mick to remember that she had asked him a question and he shook his head and said, "No, I'm fine, I'll go to sleep when I get back home. Just after I make sure that everything is alright here."

Beth nodded and asked, "What else do you have to do?"

Mick motioned to the window. "Finish that, and I think you'll be alright. Actually," he picked up the can and walked outside and put some silver on the floor right against the door for good measure. "Now I just have to finish the window."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Mick," Beth tried.

But Mick shook his head and said, "No, it needs to be completely done so that she can't get inside."

Beth sighed and sat back down on the bed, knowing that she couldn't sway him.

He finished the window, making sure to get the entire bottom of the sill and window covered, then he crawled back inside. "Alright, you should be safe now. But just be sure to not leave this room once I leave. Do you need to get anything?" he asked.

Beth shook her head. "No, I'll just sleep, which is what the doctor wanted, but I won't be cooped up in here for long will I?" she asked.

Mick shook his head. "I'll come back tonight. I'll probably sleep in for a while, but when I get up I'll call you alright? And call me if there's a problem." Letting her know that she could call even if he was asleep.

Beth nodded. "Alright, you go on and go to bed. Oh, and don't step on the silver."

Mick smirked. "Yup." He picked up the can and after a moments decision handed it to Beth. "Use it if you need it."

Beth smiled and got up and gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Mick."

Mick nodded and closed the door behind him. "Lock it, Beth." He heard her sigh and bounce over to the door and Mick heard it lock and said, "I'll lock the front door as well and give you back your keys tonight."

"Alright," he heard from inside.

Smiling Mick exited the house and made his way back to his ice chest, ready for a long sleep.

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It was past twilight when Mick woke up. It took him a moment to realize why he had been awaken but when he heard his cell phone ring, he quickly got out, though not recognizing the number, answered the phone.

"Mick St. John."

"Mick?"

"Josh?"

Now there was a shock.

"Do you know where Beth is?"

Mick's blood ran cold. "She's in her room, why?"

"She's not answering her phone and when I went over there her bedroom door was locked. And stuff was on the outside, it looked like silver particles."

_Damn._

"Is the window on the outside broken into? Can you find out?" he asked while putting his clothes on and walking out of the room.

"I can find out, hang on."

Mick heard noises while he left his house and ran down to his car.

"Oh my gosh."

"Josh?"

"The window is completely blown out!"

"Josh, don't worry, I'm on my way."

"Hurry!"

Mick hung up the phone, cursing Coralline and raced over to Beth's. Though very glad that Josh had decided to listen to his earlier discussion with Beth to know that having anyone else involved would be bad; though he would have to reiterate that fact.

He made it there in record time to find Josh standing outside the complex pacing worriedly.

"Mick!"

Josh ran over to his car as he got out. "I'll be right back, I want you to stay down here, and this time do what I say!" he said, as he ran up the stairs to Beth's.

He quickly went through the open door that he was sure that Josh left open in his hurry to get downstairs. He made his way to her door and found the silver undisturbed except at the handle where Josh had tried to get in. He knew she wasn't inside so going into the kitchen he thought, _First things first,_ and he quickly grabbed paper towels, wrapped his hands in them, and collected the silver from the door and as best he could from the floor. After he did that he threw them away and broke down the door.

The sight that met his eyes was startling. The can of silver was open and on the floor, some silver spilling from it. The window had indeed been opened forcefully, by a very powerful force, and Beth was gone. When he took in a deep breath and smelled the scent that he hadn't smelled in over 20 years. The distinct scent of Coralline. Closing his eyes he saw Coralline come through the window and take the can out of Beth's hand while she slept and gagged her and took her back out the window with Beth kicking trying to break free.

Kicking himself for leaving her, he saw her phone on the floor and picked it up. He knew Coralline well enough to know that she would have left a very clear trail for him to follow, just like last time. So he made his way downstairs and around the back. Josh tried to confront him but Mick gave him a quick look and went around back while Josh followed him.

Anger rose up in Mick so fast that he had to remind himself that Josh was there and that he couldn't lose control.

Turning to Josh, Mick said, "Listen Josh, I know you don't like me, but I'm going to ask that you trust me in this. I know where she's gone, and I need you to trust that I know what I'm doing, if you or any one else gets involved, Beth could die. Do you understand?" he asked, giving him a no nonsense look.

Josh tried to argue but Mick said, "She will _die_, Josh! Do you understand that? If Coralline finds out that someone other than me is there she will not hesitate in killing her. I need to leave now, every minute counts, I need you to stay here and wait, or go home, but don't interfere." Josh had to stay. If he went then Coralline would not only kill or possibly turn Beth, but Josh would know that vampires existed, which couldn't happen.

Josh looked like he finally understood what Mick was saying and he finally said, "Alright. How long until you find her?"

Mick shook his head. "I don't know, but I hope I have her back before morning."

Josh nodded. "Alright. Go get her."

Mick nodded back and took off toward his car, got inside and sped away.

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Mick wasn't surprised to find a trail so easy that an untrained dog could follow, but it worried him. Beth was alive, but had been knocked out from the pain in her foot and from fear. Coralline had stashed a car a little ways from her apartment and left with her in the car.

When Beth was kidnapped by Coralline the first time, she was taken to an old apartment building. This time, apparently, a warehouse would be the site.

Taking a deep breath he could smell both Beth and Coralline in the building and saw that she had taken Beth into the warehouse by the door he was standing in front of. When he opened the door, he had a sense of deja vu. Memories from the night he helped Beth escape and when he "killed" Coralline came back to him. Shaking his head, trying to rid himself of the memories, he looked inside and found no one at the door, so he made his way into the building.

There were so many places for Coralline to hide, and for Beth to be. He had to find her before Coralline decided to do something stupid. Moving into another room he finally sensed Beth, moving quickly he finally found her huddled in a corner, bound and gagged, and looking terrified. But she saw him and relief filled her eyes.

Mick quickly went to her and started to unbind her when he smelled Coralline enter the room. Pausing for a second, he quickly got rid of the last of her bonds and told her with a look to stay there and not to move.

Bracing himself, he stood and turned around, coming face to face with the woman that he hadn't seen in almost three decades: Coralline.

She had a smile on her face and a look in her eyes that spoke of danger to Mick.

"Mick," Coralline purred.

Mick almost flinched at her greeting.

"Coralline."

Coralline tilted her head with a smile. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

Mick gave her a hard stare. "I'm surprised to see you _alive._"

Coralline's smile widened. "Well, I escaped from the building that night, Mick. I jumped through the window. My hair was singed and my skin slightly burned but I was no worse for the wear."

Mick shook his head. "Why didn't you come after me before now?"

"I thought we needed some time away from each other," Coralline said, looking sad for the first time since she reviled herself to Mick.

"Needed some time?" Mick asked, appalled. "How did you come to the conclusion that we just 'needed time'? Before or after I tried to kill you?"

Coralline looked at Beth for the first time since Mick entered the room. And Mick cursed himself for forgetting that Beth was there. "Leave her out of this," he said, his eyes not leaving Coralline.

"But you took such measures to keep her safe," Coralline said, goading him.

"Because I knew you would try to take her again."

"How?"

"Because you don't want to see me happy with someone that isn't you."

Coralline smiled slightly. "So you admit you're happy with her?"

He could feel Beth's eyes on him when she finished her sentence, and Mick could have kicked himself. _Great way to get Beth killed, Mick. And a great way to tell Beth that you love her_.

"I'd be happy with anyone who wasn't you."

At that, Coralline showed her fangs and the fight was on.

Mick tried his best to get Coralline under him so he could use the stake that he brought with him, again, but unfortunately Coralline had other plans. She drew a stake of her own and pushed it through his heart.

He heard Beth scream as he was paralyzed, and his first thought was whether or not Coralline was going to kill him first, or make him watch as she either turned Beth or killed her.

Coralline threw Mick from her and toward Beth. She tried to hobble over to him when Coralline raced to her and restrained her.

"You love him too, don't you, little Beth?"

When Mick's paralyzed eyes locked with Beth's terrified ones, he wondered what she would say. He saw love explode in her eyes for him that it made his heart warm. But would she say it out loud and risk losing everything? She must have known that if she said yes that Coralline would kill her. When Beth gave him a small smile he knew what she was going to do. But when he saw Coralline start to lean in toward her neck and his eyes filled with fear.

"I do."

Mick saw Coralline's grasp loosen in surprise and her head snap back a bit and Beth took her chance. She quickly dove toward Mick, though she was probably in severe amounts of pain, she quickly pulled the stake out and Mick quickly rolled out of the way when she did so. Then, when Coralline lunged at her, she turned quickly and drove the stake into her heart.

Beth shoved Coralline away from her and turned back to Mick, who was standing now and moving toward her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, picking her up off the floor.

"I think so," she said, but looking sick.

Mick quickly decided what he was going to do and said, "I'm going to put you over here, and if she starts moving, yell and I'll get back here, alright?"

He watched as Beth nodded her head, closing her eyes for a moment and then opening them again and moving her gaze to the woman on the floor. Mick walked away and was about to exit the room when he had and idea and turned back around and headed for the motionless Coralline. Bending down he took the stake in his hands, without looking at her, and pushed harder to make sure that it was firmly in place and then satisfied, he walked back out of the room.

Rummaging around the warehouse he was able to keep an ear on Beth and look for the items that he would need.

He had finally found all the things he needed when he heard crying coming from the other room. Grabbing the stuff he quickly went back into the room where Beth was and saw her with her head in her hands and crying her eyes out.

"Beth?"

He knelt down beside her and when she looked up, her eyes were filled with love, understanding, and disappointment. Confusion went through Mick like a bullet train until she spoke up.

"You saved me," she said, bowing her head. When she picked it up, she looked at Coralline and then back at Mick. "Twice."

Understanding replaced the confusion as he realized what she meant. He bowed his head in shame and said, "I didn't know how to tell you."

Beth shook her head. "Do what you were going to do, and we'll talk about it later."

Mick's attention was then turned to Coralline. Grabbing the empty bucket that he found, Mick picked Coralline up off the floor and put her into the bucket. After that he picked up the lighter fluid that he found and started to pour it over her body.

He took out his lighter and looked back at Beth. "You're probably going to want to turn around." When she did he turned back and giving one last look at his ex-wife, he kneeled and took out his lighter and put it close enough that the fire ignited and Coralline started to burn.

This time, Mick wasn't leaving until the ashes were in his hand. But this time, thing would be different. There was no more adrenaline in his system, and so when he looked into the bucket and saw the woman he once loved inside, he surprised himself when he started to sob.

He tried to wipe his eyes free of the tears so that Beth would not notice, but apparently women notice everything because the next thing he knew, Beth had wrapped her arms around his waist and was giving him a comforting hug.

It felt good to just be held for that moment, and he put his arms on hers, even though he knew it couldn't last. Even though Beth had admitted her feelings for him, and he slightly as well, it would never work, and he would rather just be friends then try and make a relationship work and lose that friendship. But for now, he allowed the touch and leaned into it as he watched Coralline turn into ashes.

Once he saw the ashes of his ex-wife, Mick gave Beth's hands a small pat to let her know that he was alright. He walked over to the bucket and without looking inside, he picked it up and walked outside. Finding a tree, Mick poured her ashes at it's base.

He didn't know if he should say anything, but decided upon just turning his back and walking away, that would say all he could have. Walking back inside, Beth was trying to stand, but was slightly wobbly. Mick was quickly by her side and helped to steady her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

She smiled. "I'm fine. And you?" she asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine. Come on, let's get you home, Josh will be wondering where you are."

"Is that how you found me? Josh?" she asked, hobbling along.

"Well, he let me know that you were missing. I just followed the trail here," he said, helping her outside the building and back toward his car.

After a few more steps Beth sighed. "Mick, would you mind?"

Knowing what she was asking, he put her harm around his neck and bent down to pick up her legs. Getting to his car, he put her inside and then walked around the car and left the warehouse. They didn't talk for several minutes, until Beth spoke up.

"Why did you hide the fact that you had saved me as a little girl?" she asked. He watched as she looked up at him and he didn't know what to say. And when she saw that he was trying to find something to say she said, "You could have at least told me when I asked you about it. You didn't have to deny it."

"And then what? Have you hanging around because you felt obligated? No, thanks."

Beth looked hurt. "I wouldn't have stuck around just because I felt obligated to, Mick. I really wanted, and still do, to spend time with you just because of who you are."

Upon seeing the hurt in her eyes, Mick could have kicked himself. "Why are you sticking around? You know what I am and you still come around, why?"

Beth could see that this thought had been bothering him since she found out that he was a vampire. "Why do I stick around? Because I enjoy your company. I love to be with you. Why would I want to leave?" she asked.

"Because you're in danger with me. All it takes is for me to not be able to get access to blood, just like in the desert, and I won't be able to help myself. I almost lost control in the desert and killed Lennie! I almost killed her! How could I allow that to happen to you? If something goes wrong, and I can't get to my guy and I have no blood, I'm going to have to get it from somewhere and I'm not going to take any more from you."

Beth straightened up and said, "Park the car."

Mick looked confused but when he saw a strip mall that was completely devoid of cars, he pulled in and parked. He turned and looked at her and she turned sideways to face him and, even though it wasn't very comfortable, took his face in her hands and so that he couldn't turn away. "Mick, you need to stop thinking like that. You wouldn't have done anything to hurt Lennie, I know you. And besides, I willingly gave you my blood, and I didn't know that you had saved me as a child so you can't say I did it because of obligation. I did it because I couldn't stand it if you died again." She had to pause or else she would have broken down into tears. "Josh told me that you had died and I was devastated, until Lennie called me and told me you were alive, " she smiled and then gave him a serious stare. "Nothing would make me want to walk away from you, Mick. If something happens and you need blood, just like last time, I would give it to you, willingly. I know that you wouldn't want to, but if it was the only way then, hey, that's what happens and you do what you have to. Let me put it this way," she said, when Mick started to argue. "Would you rather almost lose control on someone that you don't know trying to avoid it? Or would you rather just have some of my blood and know that you wouldn't do anything to harm me?"

Mick had no choice but to look into her eyes. He wish he could pull away but something in her gaze held him there. He knew the answer, but it wasn't that simple. He hated the fact that he _had_ to take her blood, that it just confirmed to himself that he was such a monstrous creature that didn't deserve anything that she gave him. But she was right, he would rather have hers than kill someone else trying to fight his urge. But how could he say that to her? "You say that nothing would make you want to leave, but you just say that now. When I'm still 30 years old and you keep growing older, you'll wish that you had stayed with Josh and grown old with him. When you sleep alone in a bed and I still have to sleep in a freezer you'll wish you thought differently. When you want kids you'll wish you had stayed with Josh. When-"

Mick was about to go on when Beth apparently grew tired of his excuses and captured his lips in hers. It was definitely an awkward position for a kiss, but it was sweet and gentle. When Beth pulled back, Mick's breath was gone and he had to grab several breaths before he could say anything. Apparently Beth was going to take this to her advantage.

"Mick. Number one, I'd rather be with you throughout my life and grow old while you stay young than not be with you at all. Besides, who says I can't sleep next to you and the freezer, hm? And besides, if I want kids, then I can adopt. But I don't need a child, Mick. I need you."

"Beth, if you even adopt a child, they will grow up and start to notice things and start asking questions and will sooner or later find out about vampires. Do you understand that you wouldn't be able to have children?"

"Fine. Then I don't have any kids. It's not the end of the world."

"But-"

"Mick, listen to me. I don't care about any of that. I just want to be with you."

"You say that now."

Beth looked about ready to give up when she drew her hand back and smacked him square on the side of his head.

"I love you, you big idiot. Get it through your think vampire skull! I don't care about all that! I just want you. All you have to say is that you don't feel the same way and I'll leave you alone. But if you can't, then just face it, you're stuck with me," she said with a smirk.

Looking into her eyes, Mick couldn't find it in himself to doubt her. All those years of closing himself off to people to keep them, and himself safe, all went out the window when he met Beth. Now she was pretty much begging him to bring the walls around his heart down. When a flicker of a smile started to appear on his face and that was enough for Beth and this time when their lips met, the passion that they both felt was displayed in that one kiss. When they pulled apart, Beth's eyes were shining with happiness and his smile was wider than a Cheshire Cat's.

"Took you long enough," Beth said.

"Hey, give me a break, trust hasn't been my thing for almost 60 years," Mick said.

She motioned for him to continue driving and said, "Well, at least you've given yourself a chance now."

Nodding Mick put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking lot. But all of a sudden a thought pushed its way into his mind and it made his joyful mood go down the drain.

Not surprisingly Beth noticed the smile on his face fade and a look of depression enter. "What?" Beth asked, looking at him with concern.

Sighing he said simply, "Josh."

Her eyes widened in recognition and apprehension. "Oh no, how am I going to tell Josh?"

Mick continued to drive toward her place while Beth wracked her brain for something to say. Sooner than Beth probably wanted, they were back at her apartment. Sitting in the car outside the building he looked at her and asked, "You ready?"

She sighed and nodded her head. "Better get it over with."

Mick's heart went out to her. He knew that it wasn't going to be easy, what she was going to do, but she made the decision to do it and he hoped that Josh wouldn't make it too hard for her. He carried her from the car and walked up the stairs with her in his arms. He made sure to carefully put her down before knocking. When Josh appeared at the door he sighed in relief and gave Beth a hug and said, "Beth, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

Beth bit her lip and said, "Yeah, I need my crutches, could you get them please?"

"Sure," he said, and went to get them.

"I'd better go. I'll talk to you later. Good luck," he said, giving her a quick kiss on her forehead and then walking down the stairs and to his car. He quickly started his car and left for his place before Josh could come out with his gun and start shooting him for taking away Beth. He was suddenly glad that he had surveillance at his front door.

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It was late afternoon when Mick poured himself a glass of A+ and sat down on the couch and took a long swig. He was wondering what happened with Beth and Josh when he heard a light nock at his door. Getting up from his chair in his office, he looked at the monitor before smiling in irony. He put his glass down next to the couch and when he opened the door, he saw Beth standing there with her crutches.

"You drove here?" he asked, moving to allow her entrance.

"Yeah. I was finally able to get out of the house. And thankfully I don't have a clutch," she said with a smile, hobbling over to the couch.

"How's your foot?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

She crossed her legs and rubbed her sprained ankle. "I think it's getting better. When I saw him, the doctor said that I would be able to walk on it in a few days."

"And how'd things go with Josh?" Mick asked.

Beth sighed. "Actually, better than I expected. It was as if he had been preparing himself for it. It was kind of sad."

Mick couldn't help but ask, "Do you regret it?"

When she looked at him, he smiled. "No."

"So now what?" he asked.

Beth shrugged and her eyes found the glass he had been drinking out of. "Sorry, did I interrupt your dinner?" she asked with a sly smile.

Mick shook his head and smiled. _How she can joke about that…_ "No, and that isn't dinner."

Tilting her head, Beth said, "Then what is?"

Deciding to give her a cheeky response he said, "Wouldn't you like to know?" He stood and went over to the sink, downing the rest of the glass, and then rinsed it out.

Beth rolled her eyes. "I don't want to know," she smirked. She smiled at him and when he got back, she leaned in for another kiss and this time Mick closed the distance for a sweet kiss. When they pulled away, Mick said, "Come here, I want to show you something," and offered her his arm. She stood, and more comfortably than any of the other times that Mick had carried her, he picked her up and walked up to his balcony. When Mick put her down she smiled at the view.

"It's beautiful," she said, admiring the sunset.

"Yeah, I love the view from up here."

Leaning up against the concrete wall, Beth was able to stand without putting weight on her foot, and just be there with Mick, who had his arm around her waist, and they watched the sun set.

Once the sun set completely, Mick motioned for them to go back inside. But before he could move them there, she pulled him in for a kiss. This time, it wasn't frenzied with passion, but it was gentle and sweet. Beth traced his lips with her tongue, asking for entrance. When his lips parted she explored the mouth of the vampire that she had grown to love.

Whatever she had expected vampires to taste like, it wasn't what she thought. He was sweet and soft as velvet. As she explored his mouth she found his teeth, and gliding her tongue across them, she found his fangs, slightly extended. She paused for a moment before gliding her tongue across them and touching them with her tongue. She heard Mick gasp and he tried to push her and her tongue away, obviously uncomfortable, she quickly took a hand and placed it on his chest to calm him. That did the trick as he sighed but a shiver ran through his body before he relaxed.

Making one more pass over his fangs and one more exploration of his mouth, she pulled away slowly. When she opened her eyes she saw the remains of the surprise that she had given him when she touched his fangs, but she was happy to see that a happiness that she hadn't seen before was present in his beautiful eyes.

She touched his cheek and before she could react, he pressed his lips hard on hers and was asking for entrance into her mouth. Since he allowed her, she quickly opened her mouth. Even though she could feel the love radiating from him, she also felt shivers run through his body. Beth took the hand that was against his neck and placed it on his shoulder, trying to get him to relax. It took him a moment to stop his slight shaking, as if he was afraid of what was happening.

As they were kissing, her tongue flicked into his mouth for a moment to find his fangs were, unless she was mistaken, fully extended, and she accidentally cut her tongue on one of them.

His reaction was instantaneous. He stopped kissing her and stood extremely still and tense, almost like he was afraid to move any muscle for fear he would lose control.

Instinctively Beth knew what she had to do; she slowly drew her tongue out of his mouth, trying not to touch him while doing so hoping that when they drew away, he wouldn't pull away from her. She wasn't afraid of him, and she had to make him see that.

When she was finally able to pull her tongue back into her own mouth and moved it to the side so that Mick could as slowly as he dared, pull his own out. When he broke the kiss, she was surprised that he didn't move away. He leaned his forehead against hers and breathed slowly, but she could tell he was holding onto his control with all he had.

Beth lifted her head a bit, trying to get him to understand that she wanted him to open his eyes. But, all she got was a small shake of his head. She smiled slightly, understanding why he wanted to take a moment; so instead of lifting his chin up, which she wanted to do, she let him take his time to get himself under control and put her forehead back on his, giving him the comfort and support that he desperately needed.

After a few minutes she felt him take a deep breath and sigh, so she took that as his cue that he was alright again. She lifted her head again, silently asking the same thing she'd asked before. He didn't open his eyes, but he didn't shake his head either, so she took her hand and placed it under his chin and pushed it up, so that he would be looking at her if he opened his eyes. When he didn't open them after a few moments, she took her hand that was under his chin and placed it on his cheek. She wanted to make him understand she wasn't afraid and that he did nothing wrong.

She saw him take a small deep breath, as if bracing himself, before opening his eyes. She smiled when she saw the icy blue eyes staring back at her. When she saw the confusion and shame in his eyes she smiled slightly at him and pulled him down for another kiss.

She felt him tense up, afraid of hurting her again, but she was not going to let something as small as a nick on her tongue stop her from giving Mick support and the knowledge that she didn't care whether he looked at her with his warm blue-grey eyes or his icy blue ones. She flicked her tongue against his lips, asking once again for entrance. But this time, access wasn't granted at first or as willingly. She sighed, understanding his want to protect her, but she wanted him to understand that she didn't care. So, she kept at it, licking and nibbling at his lips, trying to get him to relax and allow her in again. She heard a low growl in the back of Mick's throat and didn't know if that was in pleasure or in anger, but wouldn't allow herself to get even the least bit nervous. She gently kissed him once more and then traced his lips once more, begging entrance.

She could have smiled when he hesitantly, slowly, parted his lips. She slowly allowed her tongue, now devoid of blood, which she knew Mick was grateful for, to enter once again into his mouth. She was very careful around his fangs, but did not avoid them. She once again ran her tongue over his teeth, even though she felt him tense in her arms, she continued to his fangs which were still extended and carefully explored. Mick was still tense, and only when she stopped her exploration did he relax again. Though, only for a moment because Beth went right over to his other extended fang and did the same thing one again, but this time, Mick didn't tense as much and for that she knew it meant that he was allowing himself to get used to the feeling.

She knew that he felt like a monster, and that no one had willingly been anywhere near his fangs, especially in such an intimate way such as now, and she knew it would take him getting used to it before he would be able to relax fully. She also knew that he was tense because of what had happened minutes before, but she was being careful not to make any sudden movements, and actually retracted her tongue and ended the kiss quicker than the time before, but didn't do it in a way that spoke of anything other than tenderness and love.

After breaking the kiss she looked up and smiled, proud of Mick for allowing her to do what she knew was hard for him. He gave her a small smile in return as his eyes slowly turned from the icy blue of the vampire to the blue-grey warmth that was Mick. One the color in his eyes had fully returned he said, "Let's go back inside."

Beth nodded and Mick was about to walk away when she cleared her throat and motioned to her bandaged ankle.

Mick looked properly embarrassed at forgetting that she still couldn't walk well and offered her the spot in his arms. She smiled and wiggled her eyebrows as she moved closer to him. She was pleased when he threw his head back a bit and chuckled at her boldness. He shook his head as he gathered her in his arms and headed back into his apartment.

He walked down the stairs and moved toward the couch. Normally, he would sit in the armchair while she sat on the sofa, but knowing that she would protest to anything except him sitting next to her, he put her down on the sofa and then sat down next to her. He knew he was correct when happiness and triumph shown from her eyes. He smiled and tilted his head to her in a movement that spoke of recognition and slight defeat.

She smiled but when he looked at her with guilt in his eyes, she knew they were going to have to have a talk.

"I'm sorry, Beth," he said lowering his eyes.

Beth knew what he was talking about and reached out to him and raised his head. "Mick, it was my fault, you did nothing wrong."

"But-"

"No buts! Mick," she said, turning more fully to face him. "You weren't the one who put my tongue in your mouth, and you didn't move my tongue so that I would cut it, so don't blame yourself."

Mick shook his head. "I don't know why I thought this would work. I'm too dangerous, Beth, can't you see?" he asked, she could hear the pain in his voice as he told her that.

Beth shook her head. "No, Mick, it's _you_ who doesn't see. You know better than me just how much you had to control yourself to not lick the blood off my tongue. I could tell, Mick, I could tell that you were having a hard time controlling yourself, but you know what? You did. Nothing else happened, nothing was your fault. You won't hurt me intentionally, Mick, you know that and I know that, you just have to release your fears and allow yourself to relax."

Mick sighed. She could tell from his voice that he didn't' want to say what he was saying. "Beth, you are correct. I wouldn't hurt you _intentionally_. The one thing that frightens me and makes me want to keep you at arms length is the fact that in the heat of the moment, we could be making out and I could bite you and either drain you or turn you without being able to think about the consequences. You want me to relax, Beth, but that's what will happen if I do."

"You won't be able to defend yourself."

Beth sighed. She didn't know that it could happen that way, but she knew that she couldn't let that get in their way.

"Mick, I know the dangers and the consequences, but I'm still not going anywhere."

"Why not?" he asked roughly.

Beth was slightly started by his rough tone, but smiled. "Because I love you, you stubborn little vampire."

The emotion shining in Mick's eyes was one of extreme shock. But then, as Beth gazed at him, she saw the shock turn to extreme joy and love as he realized what she said.

She knew he was still hesitant, but she was willing to work for him. But the question was, was he?

She started to pose the question but before she could, Mick started talking.

"Beth, I still don't understand why you want to stick around, but maybe some day you'll be able to make me. I don't know why you're willing to put yourself in danger for a relationship with me, but I think I'm starting to understand. I don't know how many times I will try to distance myself from you, but I know that I will," he said, pouring out his heart to her. He took her hands in his and looked down for a moment, as if embarrassed, but then looked back up with determination in his eyes. "You have been hacking at my defenses ever since we met, and so far you've done serious amounts of damage. I don't know if you will be able to tear them down completely, and I don't know if I would want you to, for fear that I might relax for a moment and the vampire in me would come to the surface faster than I could control it and I would kill you or turn you. But what I do know," he paused, taking a deep breath. "What I do know, is that I will be here for you, for as long as you want me to be."

Beth couldn't contain her joy as she screamed and lunged forward into his arms and quickly pressed her lips to his. This time, Mick didn't hesitate, he didn't tense up, and he didn't wait for her to ask, he opened his mouth and pulled her tongue inside. They both explored the other's mouths and had a "battle of the tongues", which made Beth laugh through their "battle". When Beth was about to break away, she felt Mick's fangs start to extend. She stopped and allowed them to come before she gently took her hand and pressed it against his chest, letting him know what she was going to do. His hand came up and met hers, as if letting her know it was ok. Smiling as much as she could in her current position, she didn't even pretend to be interested in anything other than the two fangs near her. She touched and licked each fang gently and tenderly. For a few moments he was tense, but he soon relaxed enough that he was still alert, but still relaxed. When she finished her ministrations on his fangs, she felt them start to retract and return to normal. She then ran her tongue over them again, letting Mick know again that she still loved him even though he had fangs and ice-blue eyes every once in a while.

When they both broke the kiss for need of air, there was a tender smile on Mick's face and a broad smile on Beth's. He read the expression on her face like a sentence in a book. It said, "I told you so," and "I love you." Mick, after reading the second emotion, leaned in for a quick, sweet kiss.

"So," Beth asked. "You're going to try?"

Even though she was smiling, Mick saw the need of assurance in her eyes. He smiled and said simply, "Yes."

Beth's eyes lit up with joy and she smiled wider and said softly, "Thank you."

Mick nodded and then, hesitantly, he looked at his watch.

Beth looked at him curiously. "You need to go?"

Mick looked back up and said with as much regret as she saw in his eyes, "Yes, I was going to go do this early so I could come back early. But it shouldn't take me too long."

Beth nodded. "Alright, well I guess while you're out I can get something to eat."

Mick smiled. "Yeah, you're not going to like what I have," he said cheekily.

Beth laughed and gave him a quick kiss and when they pulled back, Beth smiled and said, "Be careful."

Mick smirked. "Of course."

He stood and made his way to the door, looking back for a moment and smiling at the woman that sat on his couch. Had Josef told him four months ago that Beth would be in his life again, this time as a romantic interest, and that she still loved him even though he was a vampire he would have brought in the happy people in the white coats. But walking out of his apartment that night, he felt that he could possibly have the happily ever after that he thought at one point he couldn't, and didn't deserve to, have.

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I saw the preview for this episode and I HAD to write it! So I started to write it and I saw the episode and I had to add some of the stuff in so…her it is!!

I hope you like it!! Let me know in a review that you all love to give a writer!! It boosts my moral!!


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